Stormwater and Deicing Capacity Project – Indianapolis International Airport

THE TEAM TO GET IT DONE

With its previous experience designing the Seerley facility, the deicing facility at Midfield and writing IND’s stormwater master plan, Wessler Engineering was uniquely positioned as the team leader. Wessler brought on 18 subconsultants, an all-star team with the expertise and capacity needed to meet IND’s timeline for this $130 million fast-tracked initiative.

SNAPSHOT OF THE PROBLEM

FedEx’s $1.5 billion expansion to increase its capacity by 50% meant stormwater and deicing fluid runoff from airplanes had to be managed effectively and efficiently to maintain quality operations at the Indianapolis International Airport (IND) while protecting the local environment. All deicing runoff runs through the Seerley Creek facility. FedEx wanted to use the location for its development by filling in the basin and constructing a building on top of it.

When temperatures drop below freezing, aircraft deicing fluid (ADF) is applied to remove/prevent ice from forming on airplanes. IND’s stormwater system has to provide for permit-compliant runoff to be discharged into a local stream with ADF runoff sent to Indianapolis’ sanitary sewer system.

All this work (including design and construction) had to be accomplished in a 26-month timeframe that would typically take more than four years while existing airport functions remained in operation, including controlling all the water coming on to the construction site as the project was being built.

TIME-TESTED AND INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

A compressed air mixing system was a first-time element for IND. This system provided more efficient mixing and reduced the likelihood of birds landing in the basins, as they do not like turbulent water.

FUTURE-FOCUSED

Sustainable design features include recycling opportunities, pump minimization and energy efficiency. The design accommodates future expansion of the deicing facility to add more storage for use down the road.